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It is 4 am and I have been having horrible muscle cramping in my legs, feet and thighs from Flovent and albuterol inhalers. Singulair generally holds me, but I am in the midst of a bad URI. I eat a diet rich in natural grains, fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water. I frequently take a Mg capsule. Does anyone else have this problem?

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4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Leg cramps from asthma inhalersIt is 4 am and I have been having horrible muscle cramping in my legs, feet and thighs from Flovent and albuterol inhalers. Singulair generally holds me, but I am in the midst of a bad URI. I eat a diet rich in natural grains, fruits and veggies and drink plenty of water. I frequently take a Mg capsule. Does anyone else have this problem?

Yes, my calves often cramp really bad and painfully at night. The pain often wakes me up. I find that by contracting the opposing muscle group (the ones in the front, which cause the ankle to bend or dorsiflex) it helps it to relax. If the calves are too tight to do that, then I push hard on them which temporarily causes more pain, but then the whole muscle relaxes again and the pain goes completely away. I wasn't connecting it to any asthma meds, though, as I can't get off them anyway due to breathing issues and so I couldn't test if they are related. I have tried to increase potassium, which seems to help as long as I continue taking in a lot of potassium. I take FloVent 220, Advair 500/50, nasal sprays, and Zyrtec most days. Sometimes I don't take the FloVent 220 and use only Advair 500/50.

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Report This| Share this:Leg cramps from asthma inhalersYes, my calves often cramp really bad and painfully at night. The pain often wakes me up. I find that by contracting the opposing muscle group (the ones in the front, which cause the ankle to bend or dorsiflex) it helps it to relax. If the calves are too tight to do that, then I push hard on them which temporarily causes more pain, but then the whole muscle relaxes again and the pain goes completely away. I wasn't connecting it to any asthma meds, though, as I can't get off them anyway due to breathing issues and so I couldn't test if they are related. I have tried to increase potassium, which seems to help as long as I continue taking in a lot of potassium. I take FloVent 220, Advair 500/50, nasal sprays, and Zyrtec most days. Sometimes I don't take the FloVent 220 and use only Advair 500/50.

Absolutely! Almost every night I am awakened by very painful leg/foot/ankle cramps. I've done a lot of reading and mine are a odd ball side effect of Brovana, which is a long acting bronchodialator. I can't use inhalers and must use the neb twice a day.I have found that increasing magnesium has helped some, but doesn't totally get rid of them. Increasing potassium didn't help much and in fact, the longer I took potassium, the worse they got. Now that I've quit taking potassium, they are some better but I can't even eat a banana without the getting worse again. Gotta love asthma meds!

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Report This| Share this:Leg cramps from asthma inhalersAbsolutely! Almost every night I am awakened by very painful leg/foot/ankle cramps. I've done a lot of reading and mine are a odd ball side effect of Brovana, which is a long acting bronchodialator. I can't use inhalers and must use the neb twice a day.I have found that increasing magnesium has helped some, but doesn't totally get rid of them. Increasing potassium didn't help much and in fact, the longer I took potassium, the worse they got. Now that I've quit taking potassium, they are some better but I can't even eat a banana without the getting worse again. Gotta love asthma meds!

Thanks to both of you for mentioning the connection to the asthma meds. I had no idea. It happened again last night, but it's so common that I do the remedies in my sleep without fully waking up and I go right back to sleep. I remember the events the next day, though.

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Report This| Share this:Leg cramps from asthma inhalersThanks to both of you for mentioning the connection to the asthma meds. I had no idea. It happened again last night, but it's so common that I do the remedies in my sleep without fully waking up and I go right back to sleep. I remember the events the next day, though.

Hi dilann,I have cramps as well. Asthma meds do tend to deplete magnesium, potassium and Calcium. Low levels of either of them can cause cramps. I do get relief when I supplement all three, but potassium seems to be the most important for me.Sonya

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Thanks for your Reply!

Report This| Share this:Leg cramps from asthma inhalersHi dilann,I have cramps as well. Asthma meds do tend to deplete magnesium, potassium and Calcium. Low levels of either of them can cause cramps. I do get relief when I supplement all three, but potassium seems to be the most important for me.Sonya

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